Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang Photo: Chinese Defense Ministry

The navies of China and Russia will hold a joint military exercise near Vladivostok, Russia in August, to be followed by a joint maritime patrol in the Western Pacific, the Chinese military announced on Wednesday. A Chinese military affairs expert said that the events, featuring not only advanced warships but also submarine-related training courses, are expected to further boost the two navies' interoperability. 

The Chinese and Russian navies will conduct the Joint Sea-2025 joint exercise in the waters and airspace near Vladivostok, Russia, in August, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson, announced at a regular press conference on Wednesday.

Following the joint exercise, some participating forces from both sides will proceed to relevant areas of the Pacific Ocean to carry out the sixth joint maritime patrol, Zhang said.

This is part of the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries, which is not targeted at any third party, and is unrelated to the current international and regional situations, the spokesperson said.

A statement from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy provided more details about the joint exercise. It elaborated that the exercise is themed "jointly safeguarding strategic maritime routes" and "jointly countering security threats in the Western Pacific," and aims to further deepen the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era and enhance the two sides' capability to jointly safeguard regional and international peace and stability.

The participating forces from the Chinese side come from the navies of the PLA Eastern and Northern theater commands, including the Type 052D guided missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, the Type 903 comprehensive replenishment ship Qiandaohu, the comprehensive rescue ship Xihu, fixed-wing aircraft, shipborne helicopters and marine corps personnel. The Russian side will send the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs, the corvette Rezky, the rescue ship Igor Belousov, fixed-wing aircraft, shipborne helicopters and marine corps personnel, according to the statement and a video released by the PLA Navy. 

The exercise will be conducted in three phases: force assembly, joint planning and joint drills. During the joint planning phase, the Chinese and Russian sides will carry out activities such as force coordination, tactical studies and map exercises, as well as cultural and sports events. In the joint drills phase, both sides will conduct drills on subjects including submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine operations, air defense and anti-missile operations and maritime combat operations, the PLA Navy said.

Ten editions of China-Russia Joint Sea drills have been successfully held since 2012, as the series has become an important platform for China-Russia naval cooperation, promoting maritime joint operational capabilities from all directions, the PLA Navy said, also noting that the two sides will hold a maritime joint patrol in Western Pacific waters following the exercise.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China and Russia regularly hold joint maritime exercises, and each time there could be different training courses to boost coordination capability and interoperability between the two countries' navies, as well as deepen the two countries' military ties.

Wang highlighted the participation of the comprehensive rescue ship Xihu. Last week, this ship, labeled as a new type of submarine rescue ship, was spotted for the first time by Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force when it sailed to the Sea of Japan via the Tsushima Strait, according to a press release from Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff on Friday. 

With the statement from the PLA Navy also stating the drill will feature submarine rescue and joint anti-submarine operations, it is likely it will also feature submarines, Wang said, noting that submarines are often associated with classified information, so practicing submarine-related training courses could be viewed as an indication that the ties and mutual trust between the Chinese and Russian militaries are further deepened.